The Golden Rule
My mom was not very talkative. She read a lot. However, she made a point to tell my brother, sister, and me over and over: “Treat others like you want to be treated.”
After all, it is the Golden Rule, and we took it to heart. Though we may have spoken in anger a few times, we felt bad and would apologize.
Keep that in mind as you deal with others, even those who are selfish.
What Is Being Professional?
I know that most of us want things to be very casual, at home and at work. However, we work for a legal entity. A company or government has a being, an existence, outside our human interaction.
There are rules to follow and laws to follow. Rules come from the managers. Laws come from city, county, state, and national legislation.
Laws come about, usually, because of some injustice done in the past, to prevent more of the same in the future.
Need a sobering example? As the controller of a small company, I had to write and submit a check for $5,000 to the city EEOC office, because of a supervisor’s ignorant, harassing comments to a young black female employee. Need I say more?
Your work life cannot be as casual as your home life.
Learn the rules. Mind the rules. Learn the laws. Mind the laws.
Be professional!
Getting Ahead of the Game
To some, working a career is a game, figuring out what to do to get the next raise or how to get the next promotion.
I would suggest there is more to it than that. If you learn your trade, add technical skills, and demonstrate your growth and understanding, the raises and promotions will come.
Get Organized
Even if it is only for looks, good organization skills can be learned and applied. Being able, because of a good filing system, to find what you need with little effort is very impressive to your boss and makes you more efficient.
Time Can Be Managed
You can manage to get to work on time. People notice. I got a little lax at the end of my working career, which made it easier for my boss to laugh at the sign on my desk, which said, “Does running late count as exercise?”
Plan each day. Give the urgent deadlines your full attention. You will be more productive, and your boss will notice.
Pay Attention—Know What Is Going On
You can learn a lot from short news items on your local newscast and other sources of current events.
Obviously, you have little effect on national news. However, local news, especially within the organization you work for can affect you.
So Why Am I Concerned?
I want you to develop a successful mindset related to money.
There is much more to life than money but a lot depends on how we acquire it and how well we manage it.
To maintain an income, providing for your needs, you will need a good attitude to be able to mix with a variety of people. Some will be easy to work with due to a good attitude. Some will be difficult to work with due to a bad attitude.
Which attitude do you think will give you more work opportunities?
Work With What You Have
Unless you are in a legislative position, you do not make the rules, but you do need to be aware of them and follow the intended purpose for them.
Careers can be like that. Some laws come about because of abuse and can interfere with possible career paths.
Learn Before You Commit
Although you can change your career path at any time you desire, there are financial needs that make us hesitate. So, make sure you are willing to commit to the requirements and training.
Study the possibilities for income and regular employment. Research several alternatives to be sure you are making a good choice for you.
The more time you spend researching your options the more likely you will be to commit to the specific learning related to that career path, which will translate to greater income potential and understanding for transferrable skills if you do decide to change fields later.
Do Not Put Yourself in a Box
We identify with the work we do.
I used to tell everyone that I was just an accountant, which sounds boring. Tracking the financial activity of a business has its demands and challenges. So, I should be proud that I was able to deal with that.
However, deep down, I wanted to become a professional writer. I felt that I might make a difference if I could pursue that. You are reading what I wrote, in part. And you can tell that I still have a lot to learn about this craft.
I waited until my retirement from accounting to pursue this adventure. The big question is “What if I had started sooner?”
Commit to something but make frequent reviews to see if your career goals fit your internal desires.
Be Professional
As you seek out ways to earn an income to provide for your needs and how to manage that income, be conscious of your need to be professional about how you handle it all.
Remember the Golden Rule and others will be glad to have you around.
Make goals and review them often to analyze if something in your life or mind has changed.
Continue to work on building a better mindset for money!